‘Simply not good enough’: Shropshire MP presses Royal Mail chief over ongoing concerns

A county MP has met with Royal Mail’s chief executive over concerns about ongoing issues with the postal service.

Telford MP Shaun Davies said the standard of service in recent months has been “simply not good enough”, but added: “It was clear from the meeting that Royal Mail now recognises that things need to change.”

Mr Davies met with Alistair Cochrane on Wednesday - November 11 - to discuss delays and disruption to postal services in Telford.

The MP said the meeting came almost a year after he had first raised the issues.

Following the meeting Mr Davies said he had secured a commitment for regular meetings with Royal Mail’s regional director to monitor progress in Telford.

He said the meetings would provide the chance to “raise ongoing concerns and share real-life examples” from residents who have contacted him about their experiences.

The MP said he will also visit Oakengates sorting office to see the operation first-hand.

It comes as Telford residents - especially those in St Georges, Priorslee and Oakengates - continue to report missed deliveries, weeks of post delivered at once, and missing medical appointments and more.

Mr Davies said he had raised the issue repeatedly with Royal Mail this year but had been told "there are no current issues with the delivery of mail to constituent addresses", and that Telford residents were mistaking the fact that they receive fewer letters now with delivery failures.

He said that in June, the firm offered assurances that changes had been made to coverage in Priorslee and St Georges which should deliver improvements.

Following the meeting in parliament yesterday Mr Davies said: “It was clear from the meeting that Royal Mail now recognises that things need to change, but recognition alone is not enough. What matters now is seeing real improvements for residents. That is why I pushed for regular meetings at a regional level, so we can monitor progress, challenge what isn't working and make sure concerns are not simply being brushed aside.

“I also want residents to continue sharing their experiences with me. Those real-life examples and individual cases are incredibly important. They allow me to challenge Royal Mail with the reality of what people are experiencing on the ground, particularly when I am being told that things are improving but residents are still not seeing it for themselves.

“Telford deserves better. Residents deserve a reliable and consistent postal service, and they deserve honesty about why things have gone so badly wrong. I want to be clear that this is not a reflection of the efforts of the staff at Telford Delivery Office, who continue to work incredibly hard in challenging circumstances. But when local people are still waiting for important letters, including NHS appointments and essential documents - that is simply not good enough.

“I will keep pushing, keep asking questions and keep holding Royal Mail to account until residents in Telford see the improvements they have every right to expect.”

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: “We know how important it is that customers receive their mail when expected, and we recognise there is more to do to improve reliability.

“The latest independent data shows that 87.8 per cent of First Class mail in the TF postcode area was delivered the next working day, with the remainder delivered in the days that followed.

“We are investing £500 million over five years to modernise our network and introduce a new delivery model, helping us provide a more reliable and consistent service for customers.

“We regularly engage with MPs and other stakeholders about the steps we are taking to improve performance and will continue to work with them to address concerns about local services.”